1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for generating a three-dimensional model of a warp-knitted fabric.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the field of computer graphics has been making an attempt to generate a three-dimensional model of a fabric, such as a woven fabric or knitted fabric, by modeling a fine structure thereof within a virtual three-dimensional space, and simulate a garment by using the three-dimensional model.
Nonpatent Reference 1 (Goketepe. O, Harlock. S C, “Three-Dimensional Computer Modeling of Warp Knitted Structures”, Textile Research Journal, March 2002) discloses a technique for generating a three-dimensional model in which the basic shape of a warp-knitted fabric (warp knit) is reproduced three dimensionally by means of NURBS (Non-Uniform Rational B-Spine).
Nonpatent Reference 2 (“Development of Structure Expansion Tool for Warp Knitted Fabric”, Masaki Yoshida, http://kouryu.pref.fukui.jp/research/g/jp/sen12.html) discloses an apparatus capable of specifically viewing on a personal computer the finished state of a tricot fabric, raschel fabric or other complicated warp knit, before knitting it with a knitting machine.
However, the problem with the technique disclosed in Nonpatent Reference 1 was that this technique generated a three-dimensional model of a warp knit without taking into consideration the dynamic characteristic of the actual yarns constituting the warp knit, and therefore was not capable of realistically reproducing the structure of the warp knit. Moreover, the technique disclosed in Nonpatent Reference 2 is for generating a two-dimensional model of a warp knit and is not capable of generating a three-dimensional model.